Shoelace lock device



Jan. 6, A. o ERG SHOELACE LOCK DEVICE Filed Feb. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR HRT'HUR OLHUS DHHLBERG ATT'O RN EY 1942' A. o. DAHLBERG SHOELACE LOCK DEVICE Filed Feb. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR HRTHUR OL/ Z/S DHHLB ERG ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 6, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,268,644 i n 1 a snocrnon LOCK nEvroE Arthur Olaus Dahlberg, New York, N. Y. Application February 26, 1940, Serial No. 320,757

5 Claims.

,The present invention relates to shoelace lock devices, and, more particularly, to a device adapted to prevent Shoelaces from becoming untied.

Heretofore, while tying shoelaces, difficulty was experienced in maintaining a proper tension in the first crossing of the shoelace while both the second crossing of the shoelace or the forming of the bow was being made. In an effort to hold taut the first crossing of the lace, undue tension was often put on it with the result that shoelaces normally break first where this first crossing occurs. Difficulty was also experienced in keeping the laces tied once the how was made. Generally speaking, it was customary to cross and to tensio-nthe two free ends of the shoelace. The next step usually involved maintaining the tension manually while at the same time tying the free ends into a conventional bowknot. This operation required a relatively high degree of manual dexterity which many people lacked, and which was notably absent in children. Even when shoelaces were properly tied, it frequently happened that the knot became untied, especially when the person wearing it performed exercise. This too was particularly true in the case of children. Since children are generally inept at tying knots and often have to rely on their elders for tying the shoelaces for them, this circumstance was frequently the source of inconvenience and annoyance. It was already suggested to provide various devices constituted of metal or of some other non-elastic material. All of these prior devices had the disadvantage, however, that they could easily be nicked or roughened to make burrs which injured the shoelace and greatly shortened the useful life thereof. Moreover, these devices did not automatically grip the shoelace or bow as it was in the process of being tied in the normal manner, but required the user to go through some new movement or perform some new task in anchoring the shoelace ends or bow. Although various suggestions and proposals were made from time to time to relieve this situation and to solve this vexatious problem, none, as far as I am aware, of these various, suggestions and proposals was completely satisfactory and successful on a practical scale.

I have discovered that the problem may be solved in a remarkably simple manner.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which both simplifies the anchoring of the laces and prevents the bow itself from becoming accidentally untied.

It is another object of the present invention to facilitate the tying of shoelaces into conventional knots even by persons having little manual dexterity and which positively prevents accidental untying of the knot.

It is a. further objectof the invention to provide a shoelace lock device operatively associated with the upper portion of the tongue of a shoe which acts as a guiding and retaining member for the portions of the shoelace forming the knot prior and after the knot has been tied and which completely eliminates the danger of the knot becoming untied even though the person wearing the shoes indulges in strenuous exercise as is the case with childrens and athletes shoes. 7 Still another object of the invention is to provide a shoelace lock device which by holding secure the first crossing of the shoe lace obviates the necessity of maintaining an undue tension on the laces and operatesto conserve the life of the shoelace.

The invention also contemplates a shoelace lock device which can be readily incorporated into shoes of conventional character at a minimum of trouble and expense.

It is also within the contemplation of the invention to provide a shoelace lock device ofa material which'can not be bent or bruised in ordinary use to cutthe shoelace with which it is in contact, also one which is simple in construction, eificient and foolproof in its operation and which may be manufactured and sold on a practical and commercial scale at a very low price.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention applied to a shoe; 1

Fig. 2 depicts a perspective View of a preferred embodiment of the invention on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 shows a top elevational view of the shoe lace lock device illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 illustrates a perspective and enlarged view of a modified embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 depicts a side elevational view, having parts in section for reasons of clarity, of the modified embodiment shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of a further modified embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 7 inserted into the tongue of a shoe.

Broadly stated, according to the principles of the invention I provide a locking device adapted to be mounted on a suitable portion of the shoe, such as on the tongue of the shoe, preferably near to thetop part of the tongue where the last lace crossing is made. cludes a pair of shoelace gripping or locking elements or jaws spaced at such a distance from each other as to permit insertion of the corre- This locking device inspending portions of the lace or knot and holding such portions in the inserted and locked position by means of the resilient tension of the gripping members or jaws. Generally speaking, I prefer to make the shoelace lock device of a single piece of rubber of approximately the same consistency as that of which rubber heels are made. to have a relatively thin elliptically-shaped base adapted to be glued or otherwise secured to the tongue of the shoe. Extending upward from this elliptically shaped base, I, provide a bosslike protrusion. This protrusion has, halfway along its length, a deep groove which extends almost down to the base from which the boss projects. The walls forming this groove are preferably parallel for about two-thirds of their depth and are slanted for the remaining third of their depth so as to form a wedge-shaped recess at the bottom. In this manner, two shoelace-retaining elements or jaws are formed which due to their resiliency are adapted to securely grip and to hold the shoelace or knot inserted therebetween.

Instead of rubber or of a similar elastic material, the shoelace lock device of the invention can also be made of thin and resilient sheet metal. In this case it is preferred to form the sam of an integral strip or piece of metal about inch wide constituted of spring steel, stainless steel, bronze, or some other metal having strength and at least some resiliency. This piece of metal is bent to such a shape as to form with its center portion a groove of the same general size and shape as the shoelace gripping surfaces of the rubber lock device and to form with its ends a. plurality of anchoring extensions which are adapted to be pushed through the tongue of the shoe, at the place of attachment and then to be bent over flat to form an anchorage. In addition, the device can also be made of rubber reinforced with a suitable metallic member such as a thin strip of spring steel which is inserted into the body of the rubber device during the process of molding. It is preferred to provide this reinforcing member in the form of a generally U- shaped strip having its two ends extending into the two pieces of rubber which form the two sides of thegroove in the boss whereby a firmer clamping action is provided on the shoelace when it is depressed into the groove.

The invention will now be more fully described to those skilled in the art, reference being had to th accompanying drawings. 'Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2 to 4v of the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. Reference character I denotes the device integrally formed of rubber and having a thin, elliptically-shaped base portion 2 with a flat and smooth bottom surface 3 adapted to be glued or cemented to the tongue of the shoe. A boss-like protrusion 4 preferably about inch to about of an, inch' high, about inch long and about /4 to about .of an inch wide extends upward from this base. Boss 4 is provided halfway along its length with a. deep groove 5 which extends almost down tobase 2 from which boss 4 projects and forms a pair of lace-gripping members or jaws 6. The walls of this groove 5 are preferably parallel for about two-thirds of their depth and are slanted for the remaining third of their depth so as to form a Wedge-shaped recess 1 at the bottom. Erom the foregoing description, the. operation This piece is integrally formed or molded Z of the shoelace lock device of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. As it will be best observed particularly from Fig. 1 of th drawings, the device is secured to tongue 8 of'a shoe 9 near the top part of the tongue where the last crossing is made and is so positioned relative to the tongue of the shoe that the i center line of its groove 5 parallelsthelinebetween the two top eyelets I0 of the shoe.

To operate the device, th shoe is laced in the conventional manner. .When the two free ends ll of the lace are crossed just preparatory to tying the knot, the crossed part'will automatically fall, or force itself into, groove 5 of the device which lies directly beneath said crossed part. When the two ends of the lace are now pulled on, the crossed part of the lace, which is to form the bottom portion of the knot,will sink into'the bottom of the wedge-shaped recess 1 of groove 5 where it will be gripped by the clampor vise-likeaction of the resilient walls of the groove. Such action will'prevent the laces from loosening slightly when the hands loosen their pull onthe shoelace ends, as they generally do when theybe'gin to form the bow or loop of the knot. The part of the shoelace which forms the portion of thefk'not enveloping the bow'also will automatically sink into the groove of the shoelace lock device when the knot is tightenedl; If theknot is a little too thick for the groove, so thatit does not sink by itself into the groove, the knot may be pushed down into the groove with one finger. Once the knot is tied and is in the groove, the wedged and resilient groove keeps a firm grip onalmost all parts of the knot so that it becomes virtually im; possible for the knot to work itself loose. Since, in order to be eifeetive, the gripping action of the shoelace lock' device must grip at least a portion of each of the crossed ends of the shoelace, the interspace between the two projections or jaws forming the groove should be wider than the width of a single shoelace and should preferably'be as wide as two of them. Likewise, as the boss-like portion of the shoelace lock normally would be located on the tongue of the shoe and interposed between the two edges of the uppers of the shoe containing the eyelets; and since these two edges tend to come close together on the feet of people withlow insteps, the edges of the uppers adjacent to the two top eyelets I0 may be cut back as indicated at 12 inFi g l, 'to accommodate the boss which normally lies between the two top eyelets.

The modified embodiment illustrated inFigs. 5 and 6 is closely similar in its external appearance to the embodiment described in the foregoing. It comprises a similar thin, ellipticallyshaped base portion l3 havinga fiat bottom surface and having a bosslikeprotrusion 'l4 extending'upward. A deep groove I5 extends almost downto base l2 and forms a pair of lace gripping jaws IS. The lowermostportion of groove i5 i in the form of a wedge-shaped recess ll. A U-shaped reinforcing member IB'constituted of spring steel is molded in the rubber body of the device and greatly increases the-strength of the gripping action.

Figs. '7 and 8 illustrate a further modified embodiment of the invention comprising -athin sheet-metal strip of resilient metal 2| about /4 inch in width. This strip of 'metal'is bent into a symmetrical structure including two return bends 22 facing each other and forming" a pair of shoelace-gripping jaws 23. The portion of the metal strip between the jaws defines 'agroove 24,

the lower portion of which is wedge-shaped and forms a recess 25 corresponding to reces 1 and i1, respectively, of the previously described embodiments. The terminal portions of the metal strip are bent out horizontally and are reversed again to form a pair of shoulders 26, while the ends are further extended vertically downward to form anchoring extensions 21 adapted to be pushed through corresponding slits in tongue 28 of a shoe and bent back fiat to securely anchor the locking device. In view of the similarity of construction, the operation of the modified embodiments shown in Figs. 5 to 8 will be readily understood by those skilled in the art without any detailed description.

It will be noted that the device of the invention provides important advantages. Thus, first of all, the device greatly facilitates the lacing of shoes and the tying of the shoelace into a conventional bowknot so that even persons with moderate manual dexterity can easily form a knot which is automatically prevented from becoming untied even during strenuous exercise.

This circumstance is of great value particularly,

in childrens shoes which tend to untie quite frequently due to the playing and running of the juvenile user. Children are also inept at tying knots so that their elders often have to tie the shoelaces for them. The device of the invention enables parents to lace their childrens shoes with the assurance that they will remain tied.

It is also to be observed that the shoelace lock device of the invention is especially useful for skating shoes and high working shoes. In lacing such shoes, one must usually first tighten the laces between the bottom eyelets and then stop and lace some more holes with the slack which lacing of the bottom eyelets provides. By placing shoelace lock devices on the tongue or flap of the shoe every few inches of its length, a high shoe can be laced up in sections, the laces over each section being held snug by means of shoelace locks and kept from unraveling while the user deals with the sections above.

Moreover, the shoelace lock device of the invention prevents the shoelace from becoming untied and eliminates the necessity of tying the untied shoelace again and again. As tying the shoelace requires much less tension on the shoelaces while tying them, the device tends to prolong the useful life of the shoelaces. This is particularly true in the case when the shoelace lock device is constituted of rubber.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with a few preferred embodiments thereof, variations and modifications may be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the principles of the present invention. I consider all of these variations and modifications as Within the true spirit and scope of the present invention as disclosed in the foregoing description and defined by the appended claims.

I claim: I

1. A shoelace lock device constituted of rubber-like elastic material comprising a base portion adapted to be attached to the tongue of a shoe between the two top eyelets, and a pair of lace-gripping jaws extending from said base portion substantially normally to the plane of said tongue, said jaws being constructed and arranged to form a channel extending in the direction of the line connecting said top eyelets and constricting towards said base portion whereby the lower portions of said jaws will frictionally grip the I the normal process of tying a knot.

2. A shoelace lock device constituted of rubber comprising in combination a base portion adapted to be attached to the tongue of a shoe between the two top eyelets, and a pair of lace-gripping jaws extending from said base portion substan-- tially normally to the plane of said tongue, said jaws being separated from each other near their base by a distance slightly less than the thickness of two shoelaces and being separated from each other in proximity to their outer ends by a distance substantially greater than the thickness of two shoelaces whereby the lower portions of said jaws will frictionally grip the crossed portions of the lace and the upper portions of said jaws will frictionally grip the knotted portions ofthe lace during and after the normal process of tying a knot.

3. A shoelace lock device constituted of rubber comprising in combination a base portion adapted to be attached to the tongue of a shoe between the two top eyelets, a pair of lace-gripping jaws extending from said base portion substantially normally to the plane of said tongue, said jaws being separated from each other near their base by a distance slightly less than the thickness of two shoelaces and being separated from each other in proximity to their outer ends by a distance substantially greater than the thickness of two shoelaces whereby the lower portions of said jaws will frictionally grip the crossed portions of the lace and the upper portions of said jaws will frictionally grip the knotted portions of the lace during and after the normal process of tying a knot, and a U-shaped resilient reinforcing member embedded in said device and having its legs extending into said jaws to increase the gripping action thereof.

4. A device for facilitating the tying of shoelaces constituted of rubber-like elastic material comprising a base portion adapted to be attached to a shoe between the two top eyelets thereof, and a pair of lace-gripping jaws extending from said base portion substantially normally thereto, said jaws having their lower portions merged into the base portion to define a shoelace gripping channel with relatively rigid walls extending in the line connecting said top eyelets and substantially normally to the plane 01' the tongue of said shoe, and said jaws being adapted to frictionally grip that portion of the shoelace which is first crossed during the normal process of tying a knot.

5. A shoelace fastener integrally formed oi rubber-like elastic material comprising a base portion adapted to be attached to a shoe between the two top eyelets thereof, and a pair of jaws extending from said base portion substantially normally to the plane of the tongue of said shoe. the lower portions of the inner face of said jaws merging with said base portion to form at their juncture a channel deeper than the thickness of two shoelaces and extending substantially in the direction of the line connecting the two top eyelets of the shoe and substantially normally to the 

